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Q: I have a pond that the dogs swim in almost everyday when the weather is warm. It is overrun with Algae. Is there a chemical I can use to kill the algae but not affect the dogs? – Corinne of Ohio

A: Another Great Question! I talk to quite a few pond owners who have pets that love to play in their pond and this is always a concern when it comes to treating a pond with algae. The answer is yes, there are treatments you can use to kill the algae and not harm any pets. One such product is Algae Defense®.

Algae Defense® is a liquid algaecide that has no “water use” restrictions such as irrigation, swimming & other recreational activities. We suggest to use Algae Defense® in ponds that do not contain koi, goldfish or trout. They are very sensitive to this treatment.

If your pond does contain koi, goldfish or trout we would suggest to use a product called Clipper™.

12 Responses

ll of my fish over the Winter and decided dto just have water in my pond (concrete) this Summer. I have been putting bleach in the water to keep mosquito population down. I also have it aerated with a pond pump with a filter on it to keep the water moving. I have no plants or anything else except the water.
I am going to clean the pond and let it set empty all winter and wash it in the Spring and replace the gold fish. If I wash it with a pressure washer and baking soda will it be safe for fish next Summer??

I don’t foresee a problem for you for next summer, but I would suggest to toss in a couple “test” fish in first before you go and purchase any high priced fish. This way you know for sure that everything will be okay.

I unfortunately don’t have a list of plants that are toxic to dogs but I’m sure if a dog were to gobble up any number of plants it may cause them to get sick or vomit.

I had a dog when I was growing up that would eat grass every now and then he would get sick, so I would be a little cautious as to what you put in the drinking pool. Dogs, unfortunately will eat just about anything =).

I was recently given a couple of what I think are water hyacynth. Are they toxic to dogs if eaten? I would like to put them into their pool which they drink out of regularly. Also, will the hyacynth thrive even if I have to replace the water once a week or so to keep down the mosquito population? I guess this is my trial attempt at having a pond in the yard. Are there plants I should be aware not to use around dogs and is there a list of toxic pond plants to which I could refer?

hi,
my pond isnt big enough for a dog to swim in. in fact its really small. its one of those homemade ponds that I made to attract frogs. it has worked the past two years but this year the water turned a gross dark green. It might be from the plants that i got our of my swamp. I took all the plant out. should i have done that? I still have them. there are no fish and the only things living there are bugs. I have also cleaned a lot of the leaves at the bottom out. what should i do?

Algae is caused by two things, a nutrient source and sunlight. Nutrients can come from fish waste, leaves, twigs, fertilizers, etc. Basically any organic that falls into your pond over time will become a nutrient source for algae.

Your going to want to add things into the pond to help compete for the same nutrient source.

Adding aquatic plants will help. What type of plants did you have in your little water garden? I would suggest using water hyacinth if you can. They are fantastic at picking up nutrients and they spread very quickly.

Also, add natural bacteria such as Nature’s Defense or Muck Defense will also help keep your water clear by further breaking down any suspended or bottom organics.

There are uv clarifiers that hook up to your filter that will keep algae under control with out chemicals. It is safe for fish, plants, and dogs. No more product to put in your pond weekly or monthly, and no worries for animals drinking, swimming, etc in your pond. It takes about a week to clear up, but Definately worth every penny.!

I regularly use Clarity Defense in my pond and I intended to begin using the full Defense Pac. But my new puppy loves to drink out of my 500 gal pond and it is hard to stop him. Will using these products harm my dog if he regularly drinks the water?

Great question, sorry for the wait on replying to you. No, Algae Defense will not kill water lilies. It may burn the foliage of the plant is directly spray on to it, so try to avoid spraying directly when trying to kill algae. If you were trying to kill the water lilies, on the other hand, using a systemic aquatic herbicide such as Avocet or Kraken is best for long-term control.